Design Confidential just returned home from sunny and warm L.A and the Design Bloggers Conference and it was AWESOME! I have been to a lot of conferences and trade shows and I can honestly say it was the best one I have been to in 5 years. I credit the enthusiastic and open attendees, the well planned and executed agenda, the amazing lineup of marketers and design bloggers. This was the first time I have attended and it was all I expected and more.
Martyn Lawrence Bullard speaking at DBC
The event kicked off with Martyn Lawrence Bullard walking through a retrospective of his work, sharing personal stories and giving us an inside peek to the lives of the rich and famous. (Love how his entrepreneurial spirit sparked his design career; that man has seen it all and the world.) There was no let up with two days filled with nonstop education, networking, and epiphanies all rolled up into one big extraordinary experience that finished Tuesday evening with a party at Harbinger in West Hollywood hosted by Trad Home/ Kravet and Bunny Williams. Here’s my roundup report of the conference.
Shadowboxes of Wayfair home furnishings
Wayfair Party
I loved the shadowboxes and in a room full of designers you can bet they were rearranging the furniture!
Social Media Star Sightings:
- Rhonda Carmen, All the Best
- Tobi Fairley
- Martyn Lawrence Bullard
- Bunny Williams
- Cassandra LaValle Coco + Kelley
- Leslie Carothers
- Macala Wright , FMM
- Annie Selke, Pine Cone Hill
- Stacy Kunstel, Stacy Style
- Lisa Ferguson, Décor Mentor
- Holly Hollingsworth Phillips, The English Room
This is just the tip of the iceberg. The list goes on and on….
Panel Discussion with Rhonda Carmen, Tobi Fairley and Cassandra LaValle
Best Memory: Technically my best memory wasn’t at DBC, BUT, if I hadn’t gone and met up with fellow designer Cheryl Draa; it would never had happened. Cheryl and I were invited to Hutton Wilkinson’s Sunday before the conference for tea . Hutton worked with the fabulously eccentric Tony Duquette. Duquette was a design giant and his over- the- top stylings are something I closely align with when it comes to design. Never for the life of me did I EVER think I would get a chance to have an invitation like that; (Heart be still…) yet alone to have a tour of Hutton’s jewel box house and Dawnridge – Tony Duquette’s stunning home- next door. I can’t tell you how amazing it was, the colors, the textures, the contrasts – MORE is definitely better! (More on Dawnridge, Hutton and Tony about this later this week.)
Best Quotes: The audience was all a twitter with these quotes:
“The 70’s Vibe is the new black.” Martyn Lawrence Bullard
“Commenting isn’t necessarily a bad thing; you can only say so much about pretty pictures. “ Adam Japko, Design Sherpa
“ Money is a good lubricant. ” Kimberly Seldon, Dabble
“There is a lot of value in your F—ups.” Brian Patrick Flynn, Décor Demon
Surprise!
Adam Japko, Design Sherpa and wine aficionado surprised us all with a fabulous morning toast of Pierre Gimonnet Champagne. Now that’s a ”coffee” break.
Blogging: The new marketing and PR channel panel- Liza Weiner, Becher Associates; Kristine Kennedy, Wayfair; Stacy Kunstel, Stacy Style
Top takeaways:
- Be your authentic self and don’t over think it. Your brand should have an authentic voice, authentic look and authentic content.
- Find your niche and blow it up.
- “Every brand has a story- What is yours? Make your story available to everyone, everywhere and you’ll be part of the conversation. Amplify your voice. Be seen, Be heard, Be Shared and Be remembered and you’ll be invited in to the tent.” Tami McCarthy
Sites I HAVE to check out: Each speaker or panelist shared their favorite resources. These are my must dos.
- Design Sherpa
- Appify- already on it!
- Discovered
- Instrgr.am
- Stipple
- Chimein
- The Fancy
DBC Buzz words
- Curated Content
- Authentic
- Subject Matter Expert
- Point of View as in “What is your point of view?”
- Relevancy
- Passion
- Tenacity
- Stories – authentic stories, tell a story, craft your brand story
- Elevate
- Focus
Lessons Learned
- Find your inspiration and lend a perspective to it to “pay it forward”. Bring inspiration in context with content.
- Promote yourself; no one else will. Something I think designers have issues with. Entrepreneurs often struggle with little self esteem .
- Collaborate with people who complement your strengths
I have already marked my calendar for next year’s event and there is even a possibility that there will be a European version. WooHoo!
